If you contact your club secretary you should be able to find out. But if they cant tell you contact Alan Mulhall, or Liam O'Reilly, if someone in your underage club cant give you their details then God help us.

If I hear of any courses I will post up the details here.

I think the point needs to be reinforced here, There should be no OBLIGATION on someone doing a course to take up a coaching role.The idea of doing the course, particularly foundation level should be to see if you think it is something that you might be ABLE to do, and if so, to give you the tools to do the job, and to understand what is expected of you.

There are plenty of hurlers on the ditch that are happy to sit on the fence and slag off the guys training their club teams, but many of these coaches have no skills to do the job. Plus the fact that its not compulsory means that anyone can do it.

As the poster said, the courses are set out to be practical and enjoyable, and its always a chance to meet a few guys with an interest in progressing the thing.

As BNM man said, Training the coaches to coach is a real priority now, SO FOR THE LOVE OF GAA, DONT GO DOWN THE ROUTE OF PUTTING IN 4 PART TIME COACHES!!SIT DOWN WITH ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS AND COST UP 3 FULL TIME COACHES, AND AN ADMINISTRATOR FOR THEM.

I think it is a great idea for the County Board to have 4 Part Time coaches in the county. it appears that the appointment of full time coaches has done little to help hurling in the county. We have had full time coaches for about 10 years and our County Senior Team's championship performances this year were our worst since 1972. Great to hear that Danny Owens might be interested in becoming Offaly Senior Manager. He has an outstanding record as a club manager. Our next manager must be appointed on their management ability and not on their ability as a player.

Just on a positive note, over the weekend I heard that our U15 hurling development squad beat both Kilkenny and Tipperary, don't have details but great results. I know Shane Hand is involved with this team but maybe someone could tell me who else is with him.

Also the U16 played Dublin twice over the weekend winning one by a few points and losing one by a few points. I think the set up there is Eamon O Connor, Brian Troy, Stephen Byrne, Banjo Flynn and I know there is someone else just cant think of his name sorry. I think this management team have put in a lot of good work over the last couple of years and it would be good progression if they got the minor job.

On the coaching issue I think it should be the clubs who should be making sure ALL of their current and/or potential coaches have the required courses. If lads and lassies are willing to give the time to been involved with teams im sure they would have no issue with going on courses if they were organised

So your answer to poor results at senior is to turn 2 full time plus one part time into 4 part time? Great stuff lad, keep up the maths classes!Plus "if lads take on the role of coach surely they would do the courses if they were on near them"?Muller and Liam Reilly put on a S&C workshop in 2 venues last year and a total of 3 coaches turned up!!Listen, until many of the clubs get serious about the issues out there of under qualified coaches, then we will continue to struggle.Sorry to be so blunt Fence but sick of some of the lazy nonsense trotted out here by times[quote]

Where did I say I agreed with the 4 part time coaches? I don't. I suggested that clubs get there act together about organizing there coaches that same as you said above. Im involved in hurling coaching but wasn't aware of Muller and Liam Reilly workshop.I think its lazy reading on your behalf sir.

ah lethimoutwithit wrote:Apologies "On the fence", reply should have been directed at "Sharp Eye"! Indeed, lazy reading on my part.

Our existing coaching regime has been in place for 12 years. Our senior hurling team was beaten by Laois and Clare. Our defeat by 20 points by Clare looks even more serious following Cork's heavy defeat by Galway. The "Lazy Action" is to do nothing and expect different results. Our coaching programme must be driven by the County Board and not by the clubs.

ah lethimoutwithit wrote:Apologies "On the fence", reply should have been directed at "Sharp Eye"! Indeed, lazy reading on my part.

Our existing coaching regime has been in place for 12 years. Our senior hurling team was beaten by Laois and Clare. Our defeat by 20 points by Clare looks even more serious following Cork's heavy defeat by Galway. The "Lazy Action" is to do nothing and expect different results. Our coaching programme must be driven by the County Board and not by the clubs.

"The Lazy Action" is the perfect analogy to describe past boards approach to coaching and games development in Offaly, hits the nail squarely on the head but at the same time i would hold fire on throwing flack the boards way at the moment at least until the full draft of the new coaching and games development plan becomes available to view after all many of the current board were not around when the mistakes of the past were made, no sense in blaming the current board for something they had nothing to do with, i also think its a positive sign that a plan is being put in place and there is an overall acceptance by the board that the ground work must be put in place for future success, this mindset did not exist two years ago where there was not a shred of evidence that the board were willing to act or even face up to the problems at underage in both codes.

As they say in a certain rehabilitation programme, step one is to admit you have a problem, the next step will be implementing an action plan and the final step should be tweaking it and fine tuning it, only then will we start to see some results

There has been a number of comments made recently on members of our Senior Football Panel spending the summer in the USA. I would like to know if our County Board Chairman met our County Senior Football & Hurling Panels earlier this year in order to ascertain the members of these panels who are students of Sports Science, Physical Education, Sports Coaching etc and offered these students temporary coaching work within our county for the summer months. I am aware that a number of senior footballers who are in the USA for the summer have coaching qualifications. These are the type of coaches who will get our young players interested in developing their skills.The appointment in Fermanagh of Pete McGrath and the results he has achieved in lifting the profile of the GAA in the county confirms that Offaly must get the best possible manager for their Senior Hurling Team.